Japanese firm ROHM, in partnership with Osaka University, unveiled a new, afforable terahertz-range radio transmitter. To achieve terahertz frequencies, the transmitter should oscillate 1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion) times per second. At that rate, one can't really dub that "radio" frequency, because it enters what is known as "far infrared" (FIR) band, which is relatively unexplored by science so far, due to limitations in technologies (transmitters) that can accurately oscillate at a set frequency in that band.

What does it mean for us? To begin with, if ROHM's transmitter is able to strike an affordable price like it's designed to, it will exponentially increase data bandwidths offered by today's wireless networking technologies. A tiny transmitter developed by ROHM, measuring 1.5 x 3 mm, which uses resonant tunnelling diode technology, is already able to oscillate at 300 GHz (0.3 THz), achieving the ability to transmit 1.5 Gbps (192 MB/s). The people behind this transmitter believe that using the technology they developed, they should be able to scale up bandwidths to 30 Gbps in the future. The FIR band is relatively free, and less complex modulation sequences will be required, facilitating low-power transmission.

I know infrared can penetrate some materials to some extent. I wonder if the transmission characteristics are more IR-like or more RF-like.

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It's RF-like (no line of sight needed).

IR-like (consumer IR) is a wireless communication that uses blinking of infrared LEDs to transmit data (like using a flashlight to tell something to your neighbour using morse code). It doesn't benefit from any of the characteristics of IR light. The amount of data you can transmit is limited by the number of times that IR LED can blink.

Whereas FIR transmission is like radio transmission, its frequencies are in the ranges of IR, and hence more data is transported per second.

IR-like (consumer IR) is a wireless communication that uses blinking of infrared LEDs to transmit data (like using a flashlight to tell something to your neighbour using morse code). It doesn't benefit from any of the characteristics of IR light. The amount of data you can transmit is limited by the number of times that IR LED can blink.

Whereas FIR transmission is like radio transmission, its frequencies are in the ranges of IR, and hence more data is transported per second.